Red-hot Seahawks roll over Ravens

Wilson threw five touchdown passes, leading the Seahawks to a 35-6 victory over the struggling Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, but lost running back Thomas Rawls to a season-ending ankle injury that could put more of the burden on Wilson.

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) looks at an injured Seahawks running back Thomas Rawls (34) during the first half an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens, Sunday, Dec. 13, 2015, in Baltimore.

Rawls was starting in place of Marshawn Lynch, who has missed several weeks due to a sports hernia and doesn’t yet have a timetable for his return to action.

Tackle Russell Okung cited the quick release of Wilson’s passes as helping their protection. They couldn’t run the ball and finished with just 28 yards on the ground. And the easiest way to get better is to take total catastrophes and replace them with pretty good players.

The Baltimore Ravens have had plenty injuries this season. The Seahawks potent running game was shut down, but why run when the passing attack is so effective? Their defense wasn’t as ravaged by injuries as their offense. Russell Wilson threw for 274 yards and three touchdowns in 21 of 27 passes.

This was the second time Clausen started against Seattle this year. Baldwin now has eight touchdowns in the past three games.

Wilson’s first touchdown of the day came not because of his well-documented ability to run, but because of patience, time and an eventual coverage breakdown. And based off the names he has just joined this past week, he’s operating at a historical pace as each Manning, Brady, and Rodgers were playing with notoriously better receiving corps and much better offensive lines. He wasn’t sacked and was rarely hurried. It gives John Harbaugh his first losing season since joining the franchise in 2008.

I have no idea where this team was in September or October, but that doesn’t matter now. Regardless of where the Ravens pick in the draft, they will still have two unproven No. 1 picks in their 2016 selection and Perriman. You have to find ways to put points on the board, because you’re not going to skunk these kinds of teams. The Seahawks can win with the defense being good instead of great because the offense has gone from decent to terrific. Both teams did a good job of ensuring that neither punt/kick returners reached the endzone. I asked Paul Bessire of PredictionMachine.com if the Seahawks, on a neutral field, would be favored over every other team in the NFL. Not the scariest team in the NFC, not with the Cardinals and Panthers around, but at 8-5, it’s hard seeing them lose their Wild Card spot to anyone, and certainly not looking like they have a disadvantage against anyone.

Smith was waived after that game and snatched up by the Dallas Cowboys as the Hawks were trying to move him back to their practice squad, Lynch has now missed as many games as he’s played this year, and Rawls is out for the season after breaking his ankle against the Ravens Sunday.